LOTR: Battle for Middle-earth II - multiplayer hands-on, part 2

Four new ways to crush your opponents, Tolkien-style

Hobbits and wizards may soon be as commonplace on the servers of Xbox Live as soldiers, athletes and racecars. The multiplayer aspect of the upcoming real-time strategy sequel The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II could be the best reason to pick up the game and there’s a lot more to it than just throwing a few armies at each other and seeing who bites it first (though that’s fun too – read our impressions of the game’s basic Versus modehere ). Players will also be treated to four additional online modes that transform the match’s rules and force you to mix up your strategy.